


*Runaway

by KeoProductions



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gangs, Gen, Motorcycles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-28 12:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7640902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeoProductions/pseuds/KeoProductions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You've always been known as the "good girl", yet you're always getting crap about it.</p><p>What happens when the good girl makes a daring choice, running away with intriguing strangers to escape her life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Runaway

**Author's Note:**

> *WARNING: Mild Language, family problems, rule breaking, and mentions of bullying.
> 
> A/N: Lately I’ve been feeling like I need to get away, so I wrote this. I hope it does something for someone else, too. c:

“I’ll help!” You exclaim, rushing to your mother’s side when she drops a few boxes. You pick them up with ease, your weight training working to your advantage.

Your mom purses her lips at you guiltily when you take the ones in her arms, too. “You really don’t have to, honey..” She says, but you smile at her reassuringly.

“Just leave it all to me, mom. You’re getting too old to lift heavy things.” You catch the leering stares from your siblings in the next room over, who are just sitting around on their phones.

You watch with amusement as your mom blushes, looking flustered as she exclaims, “I’m not that old, yet!” But she gratefully takes your offer and sits down tiredly in the room with your siblings. As you’re heaving the boxes upstairs, you hear her say, “How come you’re all just sitting around? Why aren't you helping your sister?” You hear them groan in annoyance, but no one makes a move to help you.

You smile sadly to yourself, already used to your sibling’s treatment towards you. They all call you “goodie two shoes” and sometimes “kiss ass” when they’re really angry.

Sighing, you bring the rest of the boxes up on your own, making sure to separate everyone’s belongings in their own rooms. Your parents, wanting to reward you for your good behavior, gave you the only room by yourself. Your siblings threw a fit, of course, especially your older sister, but it’s been finalized.

When you've brought up the last box (which was yours), you exhaustedly fall onto your made mattress and close your eyes. Moving to a different city was not only a long drive (with siblings you always bicker with), but also a little nerve-wracking.

Even though you moved into a good neighborhood, your parents warned you all to not go outside at night, since motorcycle gangs drive around. You've never had to deal with that in your old town, so you’re terrified of accidentally bumping into one.

But if you stick to the rules, like you always do, then you don’t have to worry about it. With that comforting thought, you stand up refreshed and head downstairs to see if your parents need any more help.

 

 

* * *

 

 

At dinner, you’re the one who cooks and sets the table, wanting to let your dad rest since he did all the driving. He’s usually the one who cooks meals, and he’s the one who showed you how to make the family recipe (a secret!).

“Why are you always smiling?” Your little brother sneers at you when you pass him his food. You blink at him in confusion the same time the rest of your family does. “It’s goddamn annoying how fake you are.”

“We do **_not_** talk like that in this family.” Your mom berates him, but he glares at her, too.

“You’re only saying that because it’s _____! If it were any one else you wouldn't say a damn thing!” Now your father gives him a pointed look, shutting him up.

“I’m not fake..” You mutter, slightly hurt at the accusation. Your older sister rolls her eyes at you.

“There’s no way you can always be genuinely happy when you help out.” She grumbles, tapping away on her phone. “We all know you suck up to get what you want.” Your mother tells her to put her phone away, and your older sister does it, but not without glaring at you first.

“I am genuinely happy, though.” You defend yourself, gripping the serving spoon a little too tight. “Why wouldn't I be? I’m taking care of the people I love–”

“Oh, shut up.” Your little brother cuts you off.

“ ** _Enough._** ” Your father sighs, rubbing his temples. “We just got to our new home to start a new life, can’t you all get along for one night?” You immediately feel guilty and hang your head, causing your older sister to slam the table with rage.

“There you go again! Pretending like you’re better than the rest of us!” She yells at you, and you flinch back at her outburst.

“E-Excuse me?” You utter, your knuckles white around the handle of the spoon. “I don’t think I’m–”

“Yes you do!” Your little brother chimes in, looking equally as livid. “You don’t get to feel guilty, because you’re always being such a kiss ass–”

“ ** _Shut up!!_** ” You scream, dropping the spoon on the floor. Your siblings are staring at you with wide eyes, and your parents are looking at each other worriedly. Your breath is shallow, your heart is pounding loudly in your ears, and your voice is shaking when you whisper, “Why do you hate me so much?”

But you don’t give them time to answer as you run out of the dining room and upstairs, to your bedroom. Your father calls after you, but you ignore him and lock yourself in your room before sliding to the floor and curling into a ball.

You sob quietly, wondering why you've always been the odd one out. It’s not just in your family, but also at school. You’d have some admirers for being so ethically just, but mostly be ridiculed by your fellow classmates.

You cry more, knowing it won’t be any different in a new city, not if your siblings can help it.

By the time you've calm down enough to see clearly through your tears, it’s dark outside because the streetlights have been busted. You crawl over to your window seat, peering out into the night.

It must be past your bedtime, because there are no cars driving down the busy main road to your left, and the moon is high in the sky. It’s a clear night, perfect to see the stars, but you can’t find it in you to appreciate it. You’re still down about the fight earlier, and you can’t think of anything other than sleep that will distract you from it.

That is, until you hear the sound of a revving engine.

Suddenly, headlights appear at the end of your street, and you hear loud whoops and cheers as twelve different bikers drive in circles in front of your house.

Your heart is pounding quickly, and your eyes can’t look away from the sight because – they look so carefree, like they don’t care what other people think about them. This thought is only more prominent in your head when you watch one of them ride onto someone’s lawn and back off again.

To their credit, they don’t look as scary as you thought they would be. For a gang, their bodies are surprisingly lithe. You've always imagined bikers to look like how they do in the movies: big, burly, and hairy. Of course, you can’t see if they’re hairy or not underneath their helmets, but you **_can_** see that they’re not big and burly.

You watch in awe as they circle around one last time, hollering before they drive off to disturb another sleeping neighborhood. You feel oddly disappointed that they hadn't stayed longer, before your drowsiness from being emotionally worn out hits you like a train, and you force yourself into bed before passing out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning is awkward, and you expect that your parents scolded your siblings after you left because they aren’t coming at you with any insults. Your mom tells you good morning and your dad gives you a late breakfast, since you didn’t come out of your room until after you knew your siblings were up.

“Thanks, dad.” You smile at him, and he gives you a sad smile back as he sits down at the table across from you. You look at him, waiting because you know there’s a serious talk coming.

“I’m sorry about last night.” He apologizes, but you wave it off.

“I’m over it.” You tell him sincerely, cutting into your pancakes and taking a bite.

“I’m still sorry, because you don’t deserve it.” He says, and you look at him again. “So I have a suggestion,” He prompts. “I know part of the reason why your siblings don’t treat you nicely is because they never get to spend time with you. You’re always helping your mom and I, so today you should hang out with them.”

“But dad,” You say quietly, so your siblings don’t hear you in the next room. “If I try to do that, they’ll just call me a suck up again.” You purse your lips, but your dad doesn’t change his mind.

“Just try it, _____. Maybe it’ll work out for you.” You nod your head, not able to say no to him and you finish the rest of your breakfast in silence. When you’re done, you wash the plate and silverware and set it on the drying rack, before heading into the living room to find your siblings.

Once again, they’re on their phones, not even looking at each other. “Hey guys,” You announce, and they barely glance at you when you sit down between them on the couch. “I’m sorry I yelled at you last night.” You mumble, and your sister drops her phone and looks at you.

“You’re apologizing?” She asks, and you look at her in bewilderment. “ ** _We_** yelled at **_you._** ”

“But I yelled back.” You say. “And I shouldn’t have, I should have let you rant.” Your sister shakes her head and scoffs, picking her phone back up.

“This is why we hate you.” Your sister says coldly. “You’re so pure-hearted, and we know it’s **_not_** an act. It pisses us off, because we can never be like you, yet we’re always getting shit about it.”

Your heart wrenches at her cold words, and you look away from her and to your little brother. He’s acting just as distant, not even acknowledging your presence. So you stand up and walk out of the room, figuring they may want space.

“And your conscientiousness only makes it worse!” Your sister calls, and you don’t even make it up the stairs before you’re crying again.

“Dangit..” You whisper, wiping at your face in frustration. Why does everything hurt lately? How come you can’t handle their words like you used to? Maybe the years of being ostracized is finally getting to you, you think as you hole up in your room again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

You spend the whole day in there, not even eating lunch or dinner because you don’t feel like seeing anyone in fear of crying all over again. Somehow, you managed to stay an emotionless husk while by yourself, and it was doing you well to sit alone until sundown.

You feel a little cold from not moving all day, so you open up your windowsill to let in the night’s summer air. It’s only then do you realize what time it is, because the moon is once again directly above you.

Your heart is suddenly thumping against your chest, and you feel the rush of adrenaline course through your veins as the familiar sounds of cheering round the corner of your street. Just like last night, they start circling the front of your house, and you can’t stop yourself this time.

“Excuse me!” You’re surprised your voice even carried to them when they grow quiet and slow down their circling. When you see one of them look up at you, you shut your window and stumble backwards, tripping and falling on your bottom.

You sit there for a minute before you just listen to your body for once, letting yourself run from your room and down the stairs. You scribble a quick note and leave it on the kitchen table before leaving your front door and seeing–

“I told you she’d come down.” One of the bikers said to their friend, and they hand him a twenty dollar bill. You aren’t sure what to do now that you’re outside, still in your pajamas and looking dumbfounded. The guy shoves the bill into his back pocket before looking at you, leaning on his foot to balance his motorcycle. “Well, are you coming?” He asks you, and you don’t know why, but you nod your head.

The guy holds out his hand to his friend, and he forks over another twenty dollar bill as you watch in amusement. He then slides off his helmet and grins, and you’re taken aback by his handsome features and boyish charms. You’re also shocked by his age, because even if they weren't big and burly, you were still expecting them to be older, not your age!

“The name’s Junmyeon.” He says, tossing you his helmet. You barely catch it as he says, “What’s yours?”

“_-_____.” You stutter, still gaping at him. He shrugs off his leather jacket, holding it out to you. Underneath his jacket is a plain white t-shirt, but it doesn't detract from his good looks. In fact, it almost makes him more attractive. You walk over to him, letting him help you put it on before he takes the helmet back and lowers it over your head.

“Is this your first time on a bike, _____?” He asks as you climb on behind him, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“Yeah.” You reply, and you feel his chuckle through his back, making you blush at the closeness.

“Hold on tight, then. It gets pretty intense.” After he says this, he kicks off the ground and the his friends start hollering again. You can’t help the smile that spreads across your face, because this is by far the riskiest thing you've ever done. It makes your heart beat just thinking of how reckless you’re being.

“I call the next pretty girl who calls out to us!” His friend says when he rides up next to you guys. Through his helmet visor, you see him wink at you and you blush. “The name’s Chanyeol, babe.” Junmyeon scoffs at him, making Chanyeol pout cutely.

“Aren't you the one who lost forty bucks?” You ask him, making his jaw drop. Junmyeon laughs loudly, making a few of their other biker friends turn their heads to you. You look away in embarrassment, not sure where that line came from. You notice when they stop driving in circles and go to the end of your street.

This gives you at least some nerves, since you’re starting to realize what you've gotten yourself into. “Will you bring me back when we’re done?” You ask Junmyeon, then realize he can’t hear you through your helmet and over the wind, so you shout it, hoping he hears it this time.

“If you want.” He shouts back, and you nod against his back so he feels it. The lot of them are a lot friendlier than you pictured them to be, and even though you don’t ever see their faces well, you learn to differentiate them.

Baekhyun is wearing a blue scarf around his neck, Jongdae is the one with studs on his shoulder pads, Kyungsoo is the one that has a smiley face sticker on his helmet, Jongin is the one who keeps swerving dangerously to the side as a joke, YiFan is the one who’s wearing expensive looking leather gloves, Minseok is the one with a handkerchief tied to his jeans, Zitao is the one who’s screaming the loudest, Yixing is the one who looks like he’s riding smoothly, even over the road bumps, Sehun is the one who keeps howling with laughter, and Lu Han is the one who keeps trying to drive in front of the rest of them to knock them off course.

You also notice that Chanyeol stays close to Junmyeon’s side, even while the rest of them are going everywhere. Their sporadic paths would normally make you anxious of a crash, but no one is out this late at night, so the roads are left empty for their exploration.

“Have you ever been to Locke Bridge? That’s where we’re heading!” Junmyeon calls over his shoulder to you.

“No, I just moved here!” You yell back.

“Really?!” He asks, laughing again. You realize you enjoy the feeling of his body vibrating and hug him closer. “No wonder you came out with us, everyone else is too afraid.”

“That’s because you all look uncontrolled.” You tell him, and you pause before adding, “But that’s what brought me out.” You aren’t sure if he heard you because he never answers, but you don’t mind the silence that goes for the rest of the ride until he starts slowing down when they turn to ride in a field of grass.

Up ahead is a small stone bridge over a stream, and you realize you’re in a park. The guys that were ahead of you two stop their motorcycles first, and you and Junmyeon are the last to park by the end of the bridge.

“You joined us on the right night, _____,” Junmyeon tells you as he takes the helmet off of your head. Your start to take off his jacket, too, but he waves it off. “Tonight is cold.” He tells you, zipping it up your front and smiling. “And we brought sparklers.”

“Yah, are you going to introduce us or what?” Baekhyun says as he strides over and takes off his helmet. He, too, is attractive, and you’re starting to feel self conscious about being the only ugly one when he says, “You can’t hog the pretty girl for yourself.”

You blush, ducking your head bashfully and Baekhyun pokes your cheek, chuckling at your reaction.

“This is _____, everyone.” Junmyeon declares, and their immediate warm responses make your stomach flip, because when was the last time someone besides your parents treated you so nicely? “I’m sure she knows all of your names already, since you guys can’t shut up when we grind.” You assume ‘grind’ means riding, and you nod your head to agree with him. “She just moved here, so we should show her how to have fun in the city, right?” He grins, and they guys all whoop excitedly.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” You say, and even though you know you should feel uncomfortable being surrounded by men you’ve just met, but they smile at you and you can’t find any feeling in you but trust. “So, where are the sparklers?” You grin, and Baekhyun wraps his arm around your shoulders as they lead you toward the stone bridge.

When the guys start jumping below it, you watch curiously until you’re the last one up there. “Jump down.” Jongin beckons, holding out his arms to catch you. Figuring that nothing worse than a broken bone can happen, you leap down.

As he silently promised, Jongin catches you in his arms carefully, setting you down gently. “Thanks.” You laugh breathily, surprised you actually did it. He grins down at you before taking your hand and tugging you underneath the bridge.

It shields you all from the moonlight, which is just what they want, because the moment the sparklers spark, they all start cheering again. Jongdae is handing them all out, and when he gives on to you, he says, “Careful.” You giggle at his mom-like feel and let go of Jongin’s hand to take it.

Baekhyun suddenly makes an outburst, holding his sparkler out at arm’s length and spinning around in circles. His boots splash in the small stream, sending water everywhere and soaking everyone’s clothes, but they don’t seem to mind it and join him.

Pretty soon, you’re standing by yourself again, alone with your sparkler. You start thinking that this is how it always is, you being left out and cast aside by your family and classmates, and now strangers.

“_____!” Kyungsoo calls out, smiling for the first time since you've met him. “Come join us!” You’re about to decline, when it suddenly hits you that he’s inviting you over. They’re **_all_** inviting you over, because they’re watching you expectantly.

“Coming!” You exclaim, running into the water with your sparkler. They all holler and cheer, making room for you in the middle and you loosen up, not holding yourself back as you all mess around.

 

 

* * *

 

 

By the time you’re all too exhausted to run around anymore, your pajamas are completely soaked, thanks to playful Baekhyun (who splashed you mercilessly until you started doing it back). You shiver as they start a small fire using a match, and they let you huddle up in the middle graciously.

During your game earlier, you slowly came to realize that there is a sort of silent leadership in the group. YiFan and Junmyeon being the leaders, that is, and the guys always listen to each other when they talk. It’s a sort of respect you rarely see, even within your own family if it’s not you doing it. It’s refreshing and nice to be a part of, and you find yourself smiling again.

“So what made your family move here?” Minseok asks you once everyone’s settled down around the fire, curled up against each other or lying in each other’s laps.

“I was being bullied at my old school,” You say, still smiling. “But it really wasn’t that bad.”

“Why were you being bullied?” Yixing asks you sadly, sitting up from Lu Han’s lap to face you. You look away from their watching eyes and pick at your drying pant legs, squeezing out as much leftover stream water as you can.

“Everyone thinks I’m a goodie two shoes.” You confess, feeling on the spot. “They call me names and try to make me feel bad about doing the right thing, so I usually end up in my room to escape it all.”

“Is that what you were doing when we picked you up?” Junmyeon asks on the other side of the fire. You pull his jacket closer around your shoulders as you reply.

“Kind of. I got into a fight with my siblings about it.” You frown guiltily. “Their words hurt more than anyone else’s.”

YiFan sets his hand on your shoulder, urging you to look at him and he gives you a sympathetic look. “They’re family, so I can see why.” You take in his expression and features, noticing the cut over his right brow and the sharp bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry you have to go through that, because there’s nothing wrong with doing what’s right.”

You nod your head and smile at them gratefully. “Thanks guys,” You tell them softly. “You don’t even know me, and you’re treating me like a close friend.”

“You feel like a close friend.” Zitao quips, and you look at him in surprise.

“And you’re really cool.” Jongdae adds and the other guys make noises of agreement.

“Fun.” Baekhyun says.

“Pure.” Lu Han waggles his eyebrows playfully.

“Pretty.” Sehun says, and by the time they finish complimenting you, you’re as red as a tomato.

“You’re all dorks.” You exclaim, covering your blushing face in embarrassment, and they all laugh affectionately. Suddenly, your stomach growls loudly, and you remember that you haven’t had anything to eat all day today besides breakfast.

The boys all look at you questioningly, a few of them wearing cute smirks while others look genuinely worried.

“Is there a store nearby?” You mumble awkwardly, clutching your tummy. “I haven’t eaten lunch or dinner yet.”

_(The End… or The Beginning?)_


	2. Confrontation

The guys, after making a big deal about your hunger, rode to the nearest gas station and bought a bunch of snacks. The next thing you know, you’re all cramped in their garage, the motorcycles lined against the wall carefully.

When Junmyeon rips open a bag of chips and hands it to you, he asks, “So, the lot of us have been planning to have a long ride at the end of the month. Are you up to joining us?” Gratefully, you take the bag and start eating the  contents ravenously.

“Junmyeon,” YiFan says, giving him a look you didn’t understand.

“Sounds fun.” You reply after a mouthful of chips. Jongin laughs at your stuffed cheeks, wiping crumbs away from the sides of your mouth. “Will you pick me up again?” You ask. You wish you had your own bike, but there’s no way you could afford one.

“Yeah, and this time, you can ride with  ** _me._** ” Chanyeol nods at you, smirking slightly. You laugh and throw an unopened bag of chips at him. “Yah!” He catches the bag just before it hits his face, then opens it up for himself.

“_____,” You turn your attention to YiFan. He’s looking at you worriedly. “That end-of-the-month ride we’ve been planning is, seriously, long. I don’t think you should go.”

“Why not?” You ask. Something in the back of your heart is telling you it’s because you don’t actually belong with them, even though you’ve felt so at home with these boys. It makes you sad, but you’ve accepted that you’ll never fit in a group a long time ago.

“Because it’s a road trip.” He explains, sliding off his leather gloves and setting them aside. He examines the bags of chips carefully before picking up the funyuns. “Are you allowed to go out with strangers for that long?”

“I’m not supposed to be out right now, either.” You remind him, and you see Junmyeon shift guiltily. “But it doesn’t matter. I can make my own choices, can’t I?”

“I just don’t want you getting in trouble.” He says, and you’re taken aback by the sincerity of his words. You know he means it, because of the look in his eyes.

“I’m a big girl,” You reply, shoving more chips in your mouth to distract yourself from his ardent gaze. “I can take care of myself.” Something seems to spark in the guys at your phrase, and you can visibly see their mischief growing.

“You’re a big girl, huh?” Baekhyun giggles, peeling away from Sehun and crawling over to you. “Prove it. Arm wrestle me.”

“What?” You watch with wide eyes as the boys find something to put your elbows on. “Are you joking?”

“Nope!” He exclaims, finally pulling over a strongbox and leaning on it smugly. “If you win, I’ll give you my scarf.” The boys suddenly “ _ooo_ ” loudly, and Kyungsoo sighs at their excitement.

“You must be really confident if you’re betting your clothes.” You smirk, unable to help it. You set your arm on the box and grab his hand.

“Give me a reason not to be.” He challenges, and you grin in anticipation as Jongdae counts down from three.

“Go!”

The first thing Baekhyun does is gasp, because he wasn’t expecting you to actually be tough to beat. He made the mistake of underestimating you, and it shows when his hand smacks against the surface instead of yours.

The boys all cheer in excitement, obviously as surprised as Baekhyun is, and he reluctantly forks over his scarf. “I don’t want it,” You laugh, handing it back to him. The action makes him so happy he literally leans over and kisses your cheek.

“Arm wrestle me next!” Chanyeol volunteers himself, readily settling on the other side of the box from you. Baekhyun was caught off guard, but now everyone knows you’re not weak. You eye Chanyeol’s biceps under his sleeves, knowing there’s some toned muscle there, and feeling a little intimidated by it. “Oh, this?” Chanyeol asks, flexing to show off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Right.” You laugh, before grabbing his hand. The boys aren’t expecting you to beat Chanyeol, though; you hear them whispering about how Baekhyun’s was just a lucky game. You do your best to psych yourself up, knowing that with your strength training, you’d be able to match him easily, even if you didn’t have the bulging muscles to show for it.

Jongdae counts down again, and when he yells “ _go_ ”, you gasp as Chanyeol’s hand grips yours tight.

“Yah, yah! Why are you holding me so hard?!” You exclaim, but keep the hands centered. He lets out a surprised noise, and your clasped hands start to shake as you both try to out strength the other.

“That’s just Chanyeol, he doesn’t mean to hurt you.” Jongdae explains, but you barely hear it. You’re focused on the game.

“What do you want if you win?” You chuckle breathily, and the small question distracts you enough for your hand to waver. Chanyeol has the advantage now, and he furrows his brow as he thinks hard.

“Hmm… how about that ride I wanted?” He asks, and the boys all break out in “ _ooo_ "s again. It makes you laugh, and you nearly slip just then, but you catch yourself and fight strong.

No longer talking, you focus all of your strength into your arm. Chanyeol starts to groan impatiently when you start to make a comeback. "No, no, no,” He mutters, and when your hands are center again he shouts, “Yah! I want to win!”

Unfortunately for him, that little outburst made him lose the game. You slam his hand down, and he sighs in defeat as the other guys all pat your back and shake your arms in triumph.

“Coolest woman ever.” You hear Zitao say somewhere behind you as Junmyeon sidles up to the box. He presses his lips together expectantly, and you hold out your hand. Grinning nervously, he takes it and the match begins.

 

 

 

 

You beat all of the boys (barely, they all kept making mistakes like Baekhyun and Chanyeol did) expect for Minseok, who easily played with you. You thought you were winning for a little, but then he flung your hand to the side and you gaped at him in embarrassment. He just giggled, and you wondered vaguely how someone so cute could be so tough at the same time.

Some time after the game, the sky began to turn lighter, and you knew it was time for you to go back home. Solemnly, the boys rock-paper-scissored to see who’d drive you back, and it ended up being Kyungsoo.

You didn’t mind, and he even let you sit in front of him. “Is this safe?” You ask him as he revved the engine to life, and he simply smiled at you under his helmet’s visor.

“Where’s the fun in being safe?” It struck you as odd that someone so reserved and rational was in a group so noisy and daring, but hearing this, you see why he fits in perfectly.

Before you have the time to react, other than gaping at him with an open mouth, he kicks off the ground and you’re rolling down the street. Being in the front is scarier than being in the back, you conclude when he drives what you feel is over the speed limit.

When you’re home, the sun is rising on the horizon and his engine quiets to a soft hum as he slows to a stop. He leaves the bike on, but climbs off and helps you before walking you to your door.

“Will you come again tonight?” He asks, timidly taking your hands in his. “We all enjoyed your presence, _____. I don’t understand why people haven’t appreciated you like they should.” His words make you blush, and his caring wide eyes make you fidget nervously.

Nevertheless, you smile at him. “I’ll come.” You promise, and he smiles joyously before quickly pecking your cheek. More than one of the boys have done that to you tonight, but Kyungsoo’s kiss was different. For some reason, you feel a different emotion attached to it, but you can’t place what it is.

Someone’s throat clears just as he pulls away, and you both whip your head to the door to see your dad standing in it. “It’s a little early to be up, don’t you think?” He asks you, and you feel your heart speed up in fear.

You didn’t think about your actions when you ran out of the house last night, and especially not the consequences of them. You’ve never done anything as crazy as going out with a gang of bikers, or breaking the one rule your parents gave you, so you don’t know what will happen to you.

Kyungsoo realizes that this must be your father and releases your hands to greet him. “Good morning, sir. I’m sorry for keeping your daughter out so late.” He apologizes, meeting his eye directly.

“Uh-huh. What’s your name, young man?” Your dad replies, leaning against the door jamb. He isn’t even hiding his observant eyes, checking Kyungsoo for signs of bad company. Aside from the motorcycle and the biker jacket, he’s basically a squishy ball of fluff.

“Do Kyungsoo.” He says.

“Are you her boyfriend, Mr. Do?” Your father asks, and you both adopt a case of stutters.

“H-Huh? No! W-We’re not d-dating.” Kyungsoo shakes his head, cheeks tinting as he looks at you anxiously. You look just as put off by the question, so it’s not comforting. “We’re just friends, sir.” He promises.

“So you kiss girls you’re not dating?” Your dad says, straightening his shoulders to be intimidating. Kyungsoo, having already been the smaller of the guys, is affected by it.

“That wasn’t–”

“Dad, it wasn’t like that.” You cut in, stepping in front of Kyungsoo protectively. Your dad backs off, seeing you stick up for him. “It was just a friendly goodbye kiss, right Kyungsoo?” You ask, peering up at him hopefully.

There’s a pause, and you can’t read his expression, but he eventually mumbles, “Yeah.”

Your dad stares at him for a while, and while you fidget under his gaze, Kyungsoo is shockingly calm. His hands are clasped together in front of him respectively, his eyes keeping contact with your father’s. If he wasn’t a biker, you would have taken him for a next door neighbor.

“Scram.” Is all your dad tells him, and Kyungsoo says goodbye to the both of you quickly before going to his motorcycle. “Oh, and Mr. Do?” He calls. Kyungsoo looks at you two from the street. “Have a good day.” They share some sort of nod that you don’t understand, before Kyungsoo kicks off and disappears around the corner.

“Am I in trouble?” You ask quietly, tense.

“Not yet,” Your dad says teasingly, holding the door open for you. You hang your head when you walk in, softly thank him, and enter the kitchen when he points for you to go there.

“Oh,” You stammer, stopping in the doorway when you realize your entire family is in there waiting for you. Your brother and sister look like they’ve been awake for a few hours, and your mom looks like she’s been having a fight with her hair all night.

“Where have you  ** _been_** , young lady?” Your mother asks, looking ready to jump on you at any second. “Do you know how worried we’ve all–”

“Calm down, Lydia, she’s fine.” Your dad says, much to your surprise. “Even though she looks like a wreck, I can promise that the boy didn’t do anything to her.”

“How can you be so sure?” You quarry, not wanting to make him doubt, but out of curiosity.

“Dad instincts. I saw it in his eyes. He’s too recluse to do something that bold.” He comments, then, reconsidering, he wonders aloud, “Well, if he rides a motorcycle, maybe I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

“Just because someone rides a motorcycle, doesn’t mean they’re a bad person.” You argue faithfully. Now that you have twelve examples to back up your claim, you’re not afraid to admit it.

“That doesn’t give you the excuse to run off with a stranger in the middle of the night–”

“Lydia,” Your dad cuts your mom off again, and he huffs in frustration. “She’s an adult now, she can make her own choices.” Your dad says, and you feel grateful to him.

“Even if they’re dumb ones..” Your sister sneers. “Running off with a boy you don’t know is tantamount to asking for it.”

“Oh, shut up, you did the same when you were in high school, but I’m not the one who regret my decision.” You bark back, crossing your arms aggravatingly. Your older sister looks reluctantly impressed with your brave rebuttal, before mom looks at her in shock.

“You  ** _what?_** ”

“Hey, but I thought I saw more than one guy last night.” Your little brother says, saving her. “I think I saw around fifty of them, actually.” He tells your parents.

“Don’t over exaggerate.” You say quickly, and when everyone looks at you suspiciously, you say softly, “There were only twelve of them…”

“ _‘Twelve?’_ ” Your dad reiterates. “Don’t tell me you saw a gang and went running to them,” He says, and when you don’t immediately answer, he rubs his temples stressfully. “I can only help you so much against your mother, _____.” He sighs. “You’re not helping yourself.”

“Yeah, well, I’m happy that you and mom were so worried about me, but this is the first experience I’ve had with people I can call friends, so I don’t regret any of it.” You confess heatedly, looking them in the eye. “And I’m going back tonight.” You add rebelliously.

“You’re  ** _what?_** ” Your mother asks, looking absolutely stressed. “_____, I  ** _forbid_**  you to go out with any more lunatics who–”

“They’re  ** _not_**  lunatics.” You cut her off, and she looks hurt by your rebuttal. You’ve never cut off your parents before. Even your siblings were looking at you funny. “They’re completely normal people. Just because they ride motorcycles, doesn’t mean they’re wicked devils.” You repeat, furrowing your brow and frowning.

There’s a long silence, before your little brothers mumbles, “I think they’re influencing her.” You gape at him in betrayal, but he shows no sign of remorse.

“Do what you want.” Your dad finally says, much to your mom’s disagreement. “Honey, we can’t shelter her. She’s old enough to do what she wants.”

“Thanks, Dad.” You say gratefully, but he gives you a look that plainly means “don’t thank me”. “Um, I guess I’ll be in my room, then.” You say, feeling your lack of sleep catch up to you. No one combats you when you leave, so you run upstairs and into the seclusion of your bedroom before falling onto your bed.

It’s only five minutes later that you fall asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

“You actually went to bed.” You wake up to your sister’s voice, and bolt upright when you realize it wasn’t in your head. She’s leaning against your door jamb, looking at you curiously. “So,” She says, but doesn’t continue. Self-consciously, you hug your knees and pull the blankets up higher.

“ _'So’_ , what?” You ask her, and she rolls her eyes, walking in and closing the door. It makes you nervous, but you don’t move when she sits on the end of your bed.

“ ** _So,_** ” She repeats, grinning a bit. “Tell me what happened.” She says. You actually drop your jaw, unable to believe what is happening. When you continue to do so, she rolls her eyes again. “Do I really have to be all mushy like you for you to know that I’m trying to bond here?” She asks, turning a bit red as she looked away. “I admit it, none of us were expecting you of all people to break the biggest rule our parents gave us, and I also admit that I’m impressed, and a little jealous.” She says, looking at you again with a small pout. “Tell me about it, so I can live through it vicariously.”

You blink at her, genuinely touched by her words and effort to spend time with you, but as you open your mouth to thank her for it, she makes a shushing noise and waves her hands all around her head.

“ ** _Shut it. Shut it!_**  I don’t want to be thanked for any mushy things I said, because I never said them.” She threatens lightly, and you get the hint, smiling widely. Even if she was shy about it, you were glad that she came to talk to you anyways.

You begin with how it started, in your bedroom because of the fight. She didn’t say anything about it as you continued, so you didn’t make any digs. She must have felt bad, though, because instead of judging you for your actions, she asks, “Wait, so you sat with this Junmyeon guy instead of Chanyeol?” She leans back on her hands, laughing a bit. “Figures. You have weird taste in men.”

“It’s not like that,” You blush, but you’re happy she’s teasing you in a nice way. “And why? Would  ** _you_**  have sat with Chanyeol instead?” You ask, and she gives it a thoughtful moment before nodding her head.

“Chanyeol seems like my type.” She says. Then, you tell her about the sparklers and the bridge and the water, then the garage and the chips and the arm wrestling. “Wait, you  ** _arm wrestled?_** ” She gasps, leaning forward in shock. “I didn’t know you played  ** _games._** ” You can tell she’s teasing you again, but you think she means it.

“I normally don’t, but the situation called for it.” You shrug, feeling embarrassed. “I felt like I needed to prove myself to them.” Then, your sister does something even more unexpected than talking to you.

“I don’t know why you feel that way, with anyone,” She tells you gently, looking down at her hands. “None of us can even compare to you. It’s no wonder you got along with these guys so well.” Her words strike you as uncharacteristic at first, before you realize you don’t even  ** _know_**  your sister like you should. “It’s the rest of us who need to prove ourselves.”

“Don’t say that,” You argue, but she waves it off and asks you to continue.

“I want to hear about what happened with Dad.” She grins.

“Oh, well, alright…” You tell her how Kyungsoo won the rock-paper-scissors game and got to drive you home, why you felt like he belonged in the gang, and lastly what happened on the porch. She simply gawked at you until you finished, before smacking her forehead with an exasperated sound at you.

“_____!” She groans, falling back on the bed. “Don’t you see? You just friend zoned the fuck out of Kyungsoo!” She says, and you widen your eyes at her accusation (and her language). “He  ** _totally_**  has the hots for you.” She sits back up and winks playfully.

“What– no he doesn’t– how could he? It’s only been one night!” You exclaim, turning red in the face, and she laughs.

“Who knew you were so innocent?” She asks no one in particular. “All of the signs are there, trust me.” She says, and you have no choice but to. She has more experience with guys, and people in general.

“But…” You start, unsure of how to feel. “…wouldn’t that make the others more distant from me?” You ask, genuinely saddened by the fact. “I don’t want to just grow closer to one of them…”

“Don’t be naive,” She cuts you off, making you look at her. “I’m pretty sure they  ** _all_**  like you, somewhat.”

“Okay, now you’re being dramatic.” You giggle, but she shakes her head. “They can’t.” You try one last time, but she shakes her head again.

“Totally possible.” She shrugs, smiling at you. “Ah, I wish I could meet them. Take a few off your load.” She says enviously, looking up at your ceiling in thought.

“You  ** _could_**  come with me tonight.” You suggest, and she lifts her eyebrows at your offer. “I mean, I  ** _did_**  tell you Chanyeol said he’d drive the next pretty girl.”

“But I’m not pretty.” It’s the first time you’ve ever your sister say something so degrading about herself, and you literally tear up at her words. She rolls her eyes again when you grab her wrists.

“You  ** _are_**  pretty, Yuri!” You reassure her. “I look just like you, so they’ll think so, too!” You promise. “They’ll probably like you more anyways, you’re so lively and outgoing, the exact opposite of me.” She blushes at your compliments, before turning the attention away from her and pushing away your hands.

“You sure  ** _sound_**  outgoing, based on the story you told me.” She says, but starts smiling again. “So.. do you really think it’s okay if I go with you?” She asks, biting her lip reluctantly.

You nod instantly, elated for this new turn of events. “Yeah! It’d be so much fun with you.” You say, and she suddenly looks away from you again. You watch her worriedly when she sniffles, before wiping her eyes with balled fists.

“You’re so…” She starts, before stopping herself. “How can you be so nice to me after all the things I said to you?” She asks, looking at you with red eyes. “You know I was the one who spread rumors about you.” You gape at her in shock.

“You did?” You ask, and when she nods, you shrug. “Well, we moved. We live a different life now. No one will know, unless you tell them.” You tell her, and she starts crying again. “I’m sorry.” You apologize, but she smacks your arm.

“Stop  ** _apologizing_** ” Yuri demands, wiping her cheeks dry and glaring at you. “But just saying, from now on, you can bad mouth me all you want. I won’t even fight you.” She says. “Starting today, I’m going to try and be the big sister I was supposed to be.” And then  ** _you_**  start crying, and she rolls her eyes.

“I’m so excited!” You tell her, leaping onto her and hugging her fiercely. To your surprise, she laughs and hugs you back. “Let’s hang out right now, then, we have two more hours before they–”

“Hold it right there, Missy,” She stops you, moving you away and holding up her hand. “I have a life, unlike you,” She wrinkles her nose. “No offense.” She adds. “I have stuff to do before they come. Maybe, take a shower and dress yourself properly before going out this time?” She asks, and you flush, embarrassed at your own hygiene. “And get something to eat, dammit, don’t make them spend money on you again.”

“Yes, Ma'am!” You salute dutifully, before scampering off into the bathroom.


	3. Tag Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri comes along the ride this time. Some light is shed, and some is not.

When midnight rolls around and you hear the revving of engines, you and Yuri are already waiting out on the porch. She kept fidgeting, asking you how her hair was and if she looked fine. “You look  ** _nice._** ” You tell her for the nth time, smiling at her nerves. “Don’t be so tense. They’re really easy to get along with.” You remind her.

She nods, trying to take your word for it. Just as the boys start circling the streets, you run out to the road waving. “Hey, guys!” You greet when a few of them stop and climb off their bikes.

For a moment, you’re afraid that you greeted the wrong motorcycle gang, because none of them say anything, just stare. But it  ** _has_**  to be them, you can see Minseok in the back without his helmet. Finally, one of them runs over to you.

“You actually came!” Yixing exclaims, wrapping you up in a fierce embrace. You grunt at the strength of it, but it doesn’t hurt. It’s a nice kind of pressure. He still had his helmet on, so you could only tell it was him by his voice.

“Well, why wouldn’t I?” You ask him when he pulls away.

“Are you kidding?!” Jongin exclaims, coming in for his turn (again, you only recognize him by his voice). “Soo told us all about your dad! He sounds terrifying…” Then, guiltily, he says, “You don’t mind if I never drive you home, do you?”

You burst out laughing, shaking your head. “Oh, come on, my dad’s not scary at all!” You tell him, and he widens his eyes skeptically. You feel what you think is Baekhyun and Sehun tackle you at the same time before adding, “He was just being cautious because he’s never met a biker.”

“Hey, who’s that?” Minseok quips, riding up on his bike and nodding to your porch. He hasn’t worn a helmet since you’ve met him, and you briefly wonder if that’s legal before looking back and realizing that Yuri never followed you out. She must still think she’s not welcome.

“That’s my sister.” You say, looking back at your friends. “You don’t mind if she comes, do you?” You ask.

“Your dad isn’t making her babysit you, is he?” Jongdae inquires, wrinkling his nose in distaste. He must have heard the story from Kyungsoo, too.

“No, I invited her.” Then, biting your lip, you mutter, “That’s fine, right?”

“Your sister?” Chanyeol pipes up. He pulls off his helmet to get a better look at her, his cheeks coloring slightly. “Why’s she still over there?”

“I think she’s worried you all won’t like her.” You say truthfully, looking back at her. After a moment, you wave her over, and she comes. “This is Yuri,” You introduce her. A chorus of “what’s up” and “hey” sound about, which makes her smile.

“Hope I’m not intruding.” She waves, to which many of the boys shake their heads at, smiling. YiFan pulls off his helmet and asks her who’s she’s riding with.

“Oh, she can ride with me.” Chanyeol offers a little too eagerly, and Yuri glances at him in shock. “I prefer it if you sat in the back, though.” He grins easily.

“I’m guessing you’re Chanyeol, then.” Yuri laughs, walking over. He gapes at her, then looks at you.

“You talked about me?” He asks while handing Yuri his helmet and leather jacket. She takes it silently, but looks mildly surprised at the act before donning herself in the gear.

“I talked about all of you.” You clarify, so he doesn’t feel any more special than the rest of them. He gets the hint and laughs at it, shaking his head at you in embarrassment.

“Get on, _____, we only have a few hours to ride tonight.” You hear Junmyeon say something behind you. You’re about to climb on the back of his bike when Yixing suddenly reaches out and grabs your arm.

“No, ride with me this time.” He begs, and you blink at him in surprise.

“What? No way, I’m driver.” Junmyeon argues, and you sigh at the both of them. Suddenly, you remember what your sister said a few hours earlier about them all having a thing for you, and you blush brightly in the moonlight. There’s no way it’s real, but the way they’re acting right now is strangely desperate…

“Rock-paper-scissors, for God’s sake.” YiFan complains when the two keep going back and forth. Junmyeon throws out a fist, while Yixing throws out paper. Triumphantly, he whisks you away to his own bike while you watch Junmyeon’s shoulders sink in defeat.

“You’re both dorks.” You tell Yixing when you’re seated behind him, arms wrapped around his lithe waist.

“I just don’t know how many nights you’ll choose to come out and spend with us, so I want my turn to ride with you before you decide you have something better to do.” Yixing says when the boys begin to ride down the street.

“What?” You ask in surprise, looking up at the back of his helmet. “I wouldn’t do that.” You feel him shrug, but he doesn’t say any more because he’s busy focusing on following the guys down the road.

The second time riding with them is just as exhilarating as the first time. You watch in awe as they maneuver around one another, Chanyeol being extra flashy just to impress his rider. Without a helmet this time, your hair is blown back in the wind, and sometime during the drive you pressed your cheek against Yixing’s back to try and block it, to no avail.

The wind may not have died down, but neither has your beating heart. Curse your sister for making the boys’ innocence seem like they have ulterior motives. Would it be so surprising, though? They had immediately accepted you into their environment even without any formal initiation, but you liked to think it was because you just belonged. Feeling a little insecure, your arms unconsciously tighten around Yixing’s waist.

Tonight the guys bring you to a railroad, the tires on their bikes rumbling over the grass and gravel. Finally, once you’ve trailed along the side of the tracks for about ten minutes, they stop and climb off their bikes. Sehun is the first to make a beeline towards the abandoned train cars, jumping straight into an open one and rolling around like an idiot. Baekhyun and Jongdae follow a second after, joining the youngest on the metal floor.

You shake your head in amusement, before witness Chanyeol pick your sister up princess style and carry her over there, too. You at first became overprotective, before realizing she was wearing heels. Chanyeol must have thought it would be dangerous for her to walk on the tracks with them on and out of the kindness of his heart (or from the blush on his cheeks) to carry her over them. You watch their silhouettes move in the dark of the night, reminiscing over their already forming bond. Maybe the reason you got along so well with the boys was because they were just that accepting of strangers.

Yixing is discreet as he slides off his bike, pulling off his helmet and hanging it on the handle. He watches you watch Chanyeol, before slipping his arms underneath your legs and lifting you off his ride. You yelp in surprise, latching onto his neck for support and making him laugh. “Y-Yixing?! What are you doing?” You see Junmyeon and YiFan throw you worried glances before Yixing replies to you.

“I saw you so wistfully staring at my giant friend over there and thought you might want the same treatment.” He muses, already approaching the train tracks. “Was I wrong?” Well, he was, but you weren’t going to deny a free princess carry.

“Nope,” You giggle, kissing his dimple in thanks. He’s probably the only member who has kissed your own cheek, so you felt it was finally time to finish the round. He doesn’t say anything, but you see the way his smile broadens ever so slightly before jumping onto the railroad and lifting you up into the train car. Immediately after setting you down, you pull him up beside you and you both sit on the edge as the other members make their way in, too.

“So.. is there any reason as to why we’re here?” You hear your sister ask from somewhere inside the car. It was too dark inside to see her, but you know she was still by Chanyeol because his voice pipes up next.

“Yeah, the guys all prepared something fun.” He says, a layer of anticipation in his tone.

“Sort of like last time, _____.” Jongin tells you as he climbs in. Now that all the guys are seated together, you hear the rustling of a bag and then the click of a lighter. Lu Han holds the flame in front of him, the small fire illuminating everyone’s faces barely enough for you to see them. Then he carefully pulls out something that looks like a stick and lights it.

It burts and sparkles, and you realize with a grin that the boys really enjoy bringing these out.

“This is so cool.” Your sister murmurs, watching the sparks fly and hit the floor with a grainy sound. It almost sounded like rain, and you all watch in awe until the light gradually dies out. Then, the lighter is back on and another stick is lit, and the process repeats. After the third one, the boys start rambling, sharing stories for you two to hear and laugh at.

“One time,” Junmyeon begins comically. “Kyungsoo had brought out our scrapbook and YiFan and I saw a photo of us in there.” He says, and you glance at Kyungsoo, who starts laughing since he already knows the end of this tale. “We were trying to figure out who took the picture, when YiFan says–”

“Can’t you tell a different story?” The other guy interrupts, clearly embarrassed about whatever this was about. The boys all erupt in laughter, before Junmyeon continues.

“He said, ‘Myeon, I think you took this picture. Or did I?’” You see YiFan buries his face in his arms. “Then I told him, 'Yah, we’re  ** _both_** in the picture! How is that possible?!’” This time you and your sister burst out laughing, you throwing your head back and your sister leaning forward to clutch her stomach. It really wasn’t that funny of a story, but YiFan’s reaction right now was making it more amusing that it should be.

You sympathetically reach out to pat his knee and he lifts his head finally to meet your eyes shyly.

“Oh, oh, I have one I can’t tell.” Zitao exclaims, raising his hand for attention. “It’s not a funny story, it’s a scary one.” You’re excited to hear it, but you watch the guys roll their eyes at him.

“Tao, you’re scared of everything.” Minseok chides, lifting an eyebrow at him.

“Well, yeah, but this time it was legit scary! I actually ended up running away!” Zitao defends himself, turning red.

“Go ahead, I want to hear it.” Surprisingly, your sister says this, and you’re happy that she was becoming invested in the guys like you have. There was also a very, very small part of you that wanted them all to yourself.

“Thank you, so…” It wasn’t anything too terrifying, like the boys hypothesized, but you know that if it were you in that situation, you would have gotten frightened also. Your sister doesn’t think so, though.

“Haha, that really wasn’t as creepy as I thought it would be.” She chuckles, and the guys all agree with her.

“What! I thought it was kind of scary.” You admit in shock.

“That’s because you’re  ** _also_**  afraid of everything.” Yuri reminds you in amusement. “Remember that one time I brought home a butterfly and you ran into your room?” Groaning, it’s your turn to hide your face, except you press it against Yixing’s shoulder and bite your lip.

“Why do you have to bring up the most shameful one?” You ask her in defeat.

“You’re afraid of butterflies?” Sehun questions, lips parted in surprise. “They’re harmless, though.” You nod, already knowing this. “Explain.” He demands lightly, wanting to understand.

“I don’t know, they’re just scary looking.” You shrug, moving away from Yixing’s arm. “No.. scary isn’t the right word..” You purse your lips in thought and they wait patiently for you to gather it. “They’re beautiful little things, but when one comes near me, my automatic reaction is to run away. I don’t know why. I just get scared whenever they’re around.”

“Sounds like a phobia.” Baekhyun comments. “A phobia is having the irrational fear of something, so maybe there isn’t an actual reason for it.” He informs and you nod in acceptance, finding that explanation logical. The sparkler dies and you all wait for Lu Han to light another one before continuing your splurge of stories. It was fun and interesting, hearing about things they’ve done together in the past. You really appreciate the atmosphere and get comfortable, putting your weight on Yixing when he tentatively puts his arm around your shoulders. It was a mindless action, leaning against him, because you were so engaged in the conversation you didn’t realize you had done it.

“Yah, let’s talk about the road trip. I’m tired of being the butt of your jokes.” YiFan whines, and you don’t know why you’re always surprised to hear him act so cutely. Maybe it’s because of his strong exterior, but unfortunately(?) for him, the members thought it would be fun to bring up every embarrassing thing he’s done or said to keep the mood light. To his credit, he did put up with it for longer than you expected, so it was only expected they would cave to his request and change the subject.

“Right, have you decided if you’re going or not, _____?” Chanyeol asks you ecstatically.

“Wait, what’s this all about?” Yuri chimes in before anyone else can say something. She’s looking at you with an expression you can’t quite place, but you  ** _do_**  know that it makes you on edge. You unconsciously place your hand on Yixing’s thigh for comfort.

Seeing your silence, YiFan explains it to her. “At the end of the month we’re heading out of town on a road trip together. _____ was invited against my better judgment, but I was outvoted.” He says. Yuri nods gratefully at him for telling her the details, but she’s still looking at you with that face.

“What?” You ask her, tired of the wait.

“Don’t 'what’ me! Does dad know you’re going?” She asks.

“I don’t even know if I’m going!” You retort, more defensively than you meant to. She was coming at you though, even worse, in front of your only friends. You felt attacked, weak, and you didn’t want to appear so.

“Well, have you at least let dad know you were thinking about it? Or were you planning on running off with them just like the first time?” She snaps, and you wonder if it was really a good idea to bring her. Why was she being so hostile now?

“Yuri, of course I’ll tell him, but only when I decide. I’d only waste his time and make him worry if I told him I might be going and then decide not to.” You try to say calmly, rationally, and thankfully she backs off a little, accepting that response.

“Sure, okay, but what you did was pretty shitty.”

The sparkler dies, and so does your voice.

In the short period of darkness, you seize your chance to slip away from Yixing and slide out of the train car, your tears barely at bay before you’re running down the tracks and away from all of them. You hear someone following close behind you and try to out run them, but they easily keep up with you and you finally stop when you feel your chest twist unbearably with hurt.

You abruptly fall to your knees, sobbing, and instantly a pair of arms wrap around your kneeling form and comfort you. Had you not just been in these arms, you wouldn’t have recognized it was Yixing. “It’s okay, _____, you can cry until you feel better.” It was the kindest thing he could have said in that moment and you feel your heart sway in comfort. You weakly hug him back, letting yourself bask in his scent and breathing until you’ve finally stopped the tears.

“I hate myself.” You whisper, and you know this is a reoccurring problem for you. You think you’re fine, that you’re happy, and then you fall right back into self hatred. You hope this time you don’t feel it for too long. “I’m always running away from my problems, Yixing. Even now I did. How will I ever change?” You croak, guiltily pulling away from him. If you could stop touching him altogether you wouldn’t have minded it, but he was still keeping you close in fear of you losing you entirely.

“_____, it’s alright to scared or anxious, and it’s alright to want to run away.” He says gently, pushing your hair out of your face while you sniffled. “Us guys feel that way all the time, especially when we first formed this group. We weren’t all this close before.” He says.

Unable to imagine it, you murmur, “Really?”

“Yeah, in fact, I used to get in fist fights with YiFan and Kyungsoo all the time.” Your eyes widen this time. Those three were probably the last ones you imagined every getting in an physical fight. If anything, your bets were on the rowdier ones like Baekhyun and Jongdae. “You know that cut on YiFan’s eyebrow? I did that, I pulled a blade on him.” You gasp lightly, and you see him glance the other way. “It’s not something I’m proud of, in fact, I regret it, but that was our way of venting before we realized it might be better to talk things out.” He chuckles then, looking back at you and sitting on his butt to get more comfortable. “The first time we ever talked about our problems was the awkwardest night of my life, but it was worth it. After that we managed to get along just fine, and now they’re my best friends in the world.”

You don’t really understand where his point in telling you this was, despite your appreciation of him sharing it in the first place. Then, he says, “So the first step in changing your ways, _____, is to face your fears. Even if you’re afraid of doing something, do it anyways. That’s what bravery is.” He finishes wisely, flashing you an encouraging smile.

You nod silently, taking in his advice before shutting your eyes. “I don’t really want to go back there…” You know that if you did, you’d end up feeling even more embarrassed than if you stayed and defended yourself. To your surprise, Yixing nods in understanding.

“You don’t have to. I can drive you back.” He offers, and his empathy gives you a strength you didn’t realize you could gain from another person.

“I’ll try,” You declare, wiping your eyes fiercely. Since when did you become such an open cry baby? “It’ll be my first step to facing my fears, right?” You say, and Yixing chuckles, helping you stand up.

“Good choice.” He praises you, patting your head.

You both take your time wandering back to the train car, and you ran farther than you thought. You mentioned this to Yixing, and he nods, eyes widening as he tells you how he thought he might have to run a marathon is you decided to run any longer. It made you laugh and you quickly felt your mood rising. You felt yourself climbing out of that hole of self pity and stepping on the shore of pride. Maybe if you worked on yourself a little more, you wouldn’t have to make other people worry in the first place.

By the time you’re in front of the lit box again, you’re in the middle of laughing at something Yixing said. “Oh, you two are back.” Jongdae muses, pulling you up and then Yixing. “We were just saying how we thought Yixing was trying to hit on you during your weak moment.” The guys all laugh and you feel yourself blush.

“Don’t be so lewd, Dae, she was just using the restroom.” Yixing tells him with a huff, and you don’t deny his lie, thankful that he was keeping your tears with him a private thing.

“Oh, so you followed her like a creep?” Baekhyun adds playfully, a smirk dancing on his smooth lips. “I bet you enjoyed hearing her pee.”

“You’re sick,” Junmyeon gags, not finding humor in their jokes. You laugh despite yourself, unable to help it when they were enjoying their selves this much.

The rest of the time went greater than you could have hoped. Yuri eventually apologized and you said you forgave her, and even reminded her that you were an adult and didn’t need to report everything to dad even if she still had to. You said it lightly and elicited a laugh from everyone, even your sister. The sparklers ran out around 3:00 AM and the next thing you know, Yuri is yawning in exhaustion.

“You’re sleepy already?” Chanyeol asks her, poking her cheek affectionately. You watch as she pouts, and expression you don’t see often on her.

“I have a normal schedule, unlike you night owls.” She motions towards all of you, and you see a few heads turn your way.

“Yah, you have a bad sleeping schedule like we do?” Lu Han mutters judgingly and you smack his arm for it.

“How else am I supposed to come out at night with you guys?” You ask him, and they all guffaw as Lu Han shyly laughs in realization.

The boys all end up rock-paper-scissoring again to see who would give you and Yuri a ride home. To Chanyeol’s joy, he wins Yuri’s presence and picks her up and places her on his bike, sliding his helmet on her head softly with a grin. It may be obvious to everyone by now that he’s taking a liking to her, even if he didn’t notice it himself. When Kyungsoo wins you again, Baekhyun makes a sound of protest.

“That’ll be two nights in a row!” He argues, crossing his arms unsatisfied. You stifle the giggle you want to make and bite your lip in worry, not wanting them to fight about it. “It’s not fair.”

“Did  ** _you_**  want to drive me back?” You ask him with a lift of your brow, and he turns to you with rapt attention. “You’re getting to hyped about it, sounds like  ** _you’re_**  the one who’s trying to hit on me.” Yixing laughs at your dig and Baekhyun flushes, before grinning at you in response and pinching your cheeks.

“What a silly girl, thinking you can beat me at teasing?” He asks you, puckering his lips. “Did you want me to hit on you? Because I can do that just as easily as I can blink.” You squeal, pushing him back and running around the guys for protection as he chased you with a vicious laugh.

Rightfully, Kyungsoo gets the privilege of riding back with you and the other guys split up at your street’s intersection, saying they’ll meet up that the usual place when Chanyeol follows close behind you. They depart first, climbing off and walking to your porch just as Kyungsoo slows to a stop. He helps you climb from the motorcycle and when you’re on your feet, he smiles at you.

“I’m glad that your family wasn’t too upset with you about us.” He says, before widening his eyes. “I mean, not  ** _us_** , us, but like, us, the gang, you know?” He stammers, making you giggle.

“Yeah, I understand.” You tell him, and he relaxes. “I’m happy, too. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it ended up being really awesome.” There’s a short silence, before you see him start leaning in to peck your cheek in goodbye again, this time a safe distance away from any fathers who decided to ruin the moment. But, before he could, you quickly swoop in and kiss  ** _his_**  cheek instead, making him blink in surprise. “Gotcha!” You chuckle at his shock, before he presses his lips together awkwardly.

“I… I think you make my heart beat too fast sometimes.” He confesses, and you aren’t sure how to react to that, staring at him with a half smile from your previous laughter.

“Yah, hurry up over there _____, Soo!” Chanyeol calls, Yuri standing akimbo beside him. “Yuri said your dad will come out if you don’t come in.” Hurriedly disregarding the strange situation that just happened between you and Kyungsoo, you bid him farewell and run up the steps of your house before hugging Chanyeol goodbye, too. Once you both are in and you hear the boys drive down the street, you give Yuri a suspicious look, which she returns with an innocent smile.

“Chanyeol likes you.” You state.

“I can tell.” She says, still smiling.

“You like him too, right?” You ask.

“Yeah, but I’m gonna wait until he says something.” She admits. “What about you?”

“What about me?” You gasp.

“Don’t you like one of them? Any of them?” She inquires, wanting the juicy details.

“What! No, I don’t!” You exclaim, blushing madly. “A-At least, I don’t  ** _think_**  I do.”

“Oh, how could you not know?” Yuri begs, wanting something to tease you about. “Doesn’t your heart beat a little faster around any of them? I noticed you were a little clingy with that Chinese guy today, sorry, I haven’t learned all their names yet. Is it him?” You shake your head furiously, hot from your blood rushing up so fast.

“No! I mean, my heart beats faster at any social interaction I have. It’s not often I’m out with people who enjoy being around me.” You say. You see her look sad for a moment, and you remember that she had told you it was her fault in the past for your seclusion. But, she quickly changes her expression before you can say anything and continues, poking your chest.

“It’s different, _____. But if you can’t tell, then at least figure out which one of them likes  ** _you._**  Because I still stand by what I said, excluding Chanyeol this time.” She says.

“That they all like me..?” You mumble, still bashful at the idea.

Oh, what would you do if they all had a crush on you? There’s literally no redeeming qualities about yourself that you can see besides the fact that you’re physically strong. But they seemed more amused and impressed than attracted to your unsual brute strength. But.. Kyungsoo’s word did feel a little suspicious to you. Is that something you just say out of the blue? Randomly? To a friend? You sure wouldn’t, you’d only say it someone you had feelings for… but in that case…

Gah, should you really even be as touchy with them as you are? You wouldn’t want to give off the wrong idea, they aren’t females, after all. Maybe the cheek kissing was a little overboard, you realize, but they started it. You thought it was a platonic gesture, not a romantic one! Maybe they’re just being flirty, they themselves admitted they were flirtatious naturally. It was only to be expected that they’d play around a little, if not a lot.

It was all too much for you to stress about, and you finalized that if it came up, then you’d deal with it then. You were sure of yourself when you came to this conclusion, feeling proud for coming up with some sort of solution, and headed off to your bedroom and mess around on your phone until you got tired enough to pass out. What you didn’t understand was that putting something as important as this could be off was just another way of running away.

(The End… or The Beginning?)


End file.
